Tigress of Legend: Right of the Tigress
by Lioness's Heart
Summary: All young Alanna of Trebond wanted was to be a warrior maiden. She wanted to be a knight, but fate had something else planned for her. Even by another name, can she still the Lioness Tortall will need? DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue: The Tigress and the Dragon

A/N: Interesting...the day I decide to get around to putting this up, I see another Alanna goes to Shang story...small world...

Disclaimer: It's not mine. Otherwise I'd be publishing this in a book, not on here. All recognizeable characters and places belong to Tamora Pierce

Prologue: The Tigress and the Dragon

Jonathan of Conte stood at his father's right hand, as befitted the heir to the throne of Tortall. Today they were welcoming two of the Shang warriors, who had come to train some of the pages and squires in the fighting styles that their order used.

The two warriors, both of whom had fiery red hair, bowed. One was a man, and the other a young woman.

The woman kept her hair at shoulder length, and had pushed her bangs over to the side of her face, drawing everyone's gaze to her brilliant violet eyes. The man, who was obviously the older of the two, kept his hair shorter, the ends just brushing the tips of his ears, and had blue-green eyes.

His eyes were a light sea green at the moment, those who were close him knew that that meant that he was focused on the task at hand.

"I am Liam Ironarm, the Shang Dragon, and this is the Shang Tigress, Alanna Brightwater," said the Dragon, intent of King Roald, not the prince, who was staring at Alanna.

Her indigo gaze was piercing, and haunting at the same time. For some reason, she reminded him of one of the knights who had joined the pages for training almost ten years ago.

Jonathan contemplated that for a moment, then he remembered the knight. It was Sir Thom of Trebond. Thom had never mentioned a sister, but then, he didn't talk much, unless required to; he seemed more intent on developing his Gift.

Yet, she also seemed to be familiar to him in another way, like he had known her in the past; but that wasn't possible. He'd never met one of the female Shang warriors, for that matter, he'd only ever met one other of the Shang Order – the Shang Fox.

"Welcome, Warriors of Shang!" His father boomed, his voice genial. King Roald had hoped that these members of Shang would come soon. Tortall was having trouble with the Copper Isles.

The only possible reason for that was that the princess from the Isles had been rejected as a possible choice to marry Jonathan. Those from the Copper Isles could hold grudges for such things for a long time.

"It is an honor to have you in out court, we thank you for coming," Roald continued in a softer tone, so as not to startle the pages who had appeared. It was quiet early in the morning for the young boys to be much awake. However, they had been required to come to greet their new teachers from Shang when they arrived, several hours before dawn.

Later that day, Jonathan sought out the Shang Tigress. He found her practicing a form of kick that was undoubtedly a Shang move.

The slight woman paused when she saw him, and bowed formally. Jon shook his head; he disliked such formality. "Good afternoon, Lady Alanna."

She smiled slightly. "It's Alanna, just Alanna," she replied. Her voice was strong, and fierce, yet sweet at the same time. In it also was another sort of inflection, loneliness.

Jon knew that most of the Shang warriors never sought companionship. They were too restless to settle down in one place. But it sounded like this Alanna had been separated from someone very close to her, possibly the only family that she had had.

She paused, returning to her formal manner. "Good afternoon, Prince Jonathan." She said evenly, her expression becoming placid once more.

"Alright, just Alanna it is," at his response her lips quirked slightly. "Alanna, you remind me of one of the knights, here at the Palace…does the name Thom of Trebond mean anything to you?" he asked.

Alanna's eyes lit up, "Thom is my brother. My twin. We were separated when I joined Shang when we were seven. I haven't seen him since. It seems that neither of us really had the time. I was training to become a full member of the Shang order until a few years ago. That was when I passed our trails and was named the Shang Tigress. Thom would have come to the Palace at about ten or so and worked until he earned his shield….""

She trailed off, memories flowing back to her… 


	2. Chapter One: When Panthers Prowl

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

**Pie of Doomeh – I'm glad you like it. This one's going to be Alanna's life from when she was in Trebond as a child to when she ends up in Corus, so, no, Alanna and Liam are not lovers in this one. The sequel – which I'm also writing at the moment – is going to be AxG(I'm a big AlannaXGeorge fan) with a bit of a twist...but you'll just have to wait to see! I may start posting that in the near future...**

* * *

**Disclaimer: It's not mine. I wish it was, but alas, I'm not Tamora Pierce.**

**A/N: Sorry to keep you waiting, I posted the prologue right before I left for camp, and I've very been busy, not to mention more than a bit lazy, since then. Without ****further ado, the next chapter!**

* * *

CHAPTER ONE: When Panthers Prowl

"Give it back!" Alanna's cry echoed through the halls of the castle at Fief Trebond. Her shriek disturbed her father, Lord Alan, who was in his study with the door closed. He scowled, putting his book down. This would end now. He heard this every day at this time. Thom had taken something of Alanna's. Again.

Lord Alan glowered at Alanna and Thom when he entered their playroom a few minutes later. Their caretaker, a village woman name Maude, appeared from one of the adjoining rooms, carrying her sewing basket.

She was also carrying the seven-year-old Alanna's favorite plaything, a stuffed toy that looked like a black cat with purple eyes, which was missing its tail. The tail was sitting on the small table in the corner of the room, waiting to be sewn back onto where it had been previously.

"Maude, this has to stop. The twins've agitated me with all of this noise for weeks. If they do not stop….Tell them that if they do not stop then they will lose a privilege, and their favorite toy for one day for every shriek I hear from now on."

With that he turned on his heel and left, glaring at the children as he passed. Alanna and Thom were oblivious to his departure; they had started a new game. One where Thom had to chase his sister around until he caught her so that she would give his 'Junior Mages' black robe, which he liked to use to play sorcerer.

"Children, settle down. You are making a din." At that Alanna and Thom stopped and stared at her. "What's a din?" They asked in unison, "A din is a racket, too much noise." Maude replied, calmly sitting down to repair Alanna's cat.

Dinner that night was just as loud as the playroom had been a few hours earlier. Alanna and Thom were arguing over who had more sprouts, not that either of them liked them much, though.

Lord Alan was glaring down the table at his children, while picking at the plate of food that the servants had placed in front of him. Finally he'd had enough. "Quiet!"

Both Alanna and Thom froze, their violet eyes wide, and stared at their father. "You two have been driving me insane for months. This will stop. Now." He was still glowering at the twins when Coram Smythesson, the head guardsman, and a former soldier, entered the dining hall.

Lord Alan turned to Coram, "What is it?" Coram stood at attention, bowing quickly to the Trebond lord. "Two Shang warriors are waiting for you in your study, milord. They will see you at your earliest convenience." Alan nodded and Coram bowed again, leaving the three to finish their meal.

Alanna and Thom continued to watch their father silently as he picked at his plate. Finally, he put down his fork with a thud, stood up, and walked out of the hall.

He entered his study in a worse mood than he had been in earlier, when the twins were bothering him. There were indeed two Shang warriors there. One – a young woman with cropped light brown hair – was pacing around, while her companion, a middle-aged man whose short black hair had a thick white streak in it, sat in one of the chairs in front of Alan's desk.

The man glanced back at Lord Alan entered, and the woman stopped pacing the room momentarily. The man stood up, dipping his head to Alan. "Lord Alan, it's good to see you again."

When Alan gave him a confused look, the man frowned, "Alan, don't you remember your old friend Reston? I'm hurt."

He saw it click in Alan's mind, "Reston? My, you've changed! I didn't know you'd gone to Shang!" The Shang Panther smiled slightly, "It was after my family left Trebond that the Shang Order accepted me," he explained.

"Oh, Alan, this is Hara, the Shang Viper." The woman bowed to Lord Alan in Yamani style, with her palms on her thighs. "It is an honor, my lord," she said softly. Alan nodded, and motioned for the two to have a seat.

He moved to his desk, shuffling a few papers out of the way, and removing a few scrolls. He placed them in their proper spaces, and sat in the chair behind his desk.

Alan, being a very direct person most of the time, got right to the point. "What is your purpose here, my friend?" He asked, running his hands through his coppery hair before folding them in front of him.

Reston grinned, "You're still the same as when we were boys, Alan," he told him old friend. "We were asked to find recruits for the academy. Hara and I have traveled up and down the coast, and the Scanran border, and we've not found a single candidate. We were hoping to find one here. It's our last stop before we return to the academy." Reston sat back in the chair, while Hara continued to pace.

Lord Alan watched the two Shang for a moment. "Fine, you may have a look at the children in the castle, and the village, but please come to me before you spirit them away, I'd like to know who you've chosen."

Reston nodded, "Thank you, Lord Alan. We are very grateful to you for allowing us this opportunity."

Reston spoke with Alan long after Hara gave up and left for the chambers that she had been assigned by the castle's housekeeper.

Reston had finally collapsed into his bed when there was a knock on the door. He groaned and attempted to get back up. After a moment, he grimaced and gave up. "Come in," he growled, scowling at the pain in his lower back. He wasn't even thirty-seven, and already it was giving him problems.

Hara stepped into the room, having returned to her usual bouncy exuberant self after several hours of sleep in a descent bed. She had never traveled well, not in all the time Reston had known her. They had met fifteen years previously, when she entered training at the age of six.

Hara gave him an odd look, "Why are you sitting like that?" She asked, referring to the fact that he had now moved from lying on the bed to basically sitting with his back on the floor and his legs resting on the bed.

Reston shrugged the best he could in that position. _I don't really know,_ he thought, _it seemed like a good idea, and it's made my back stop hurting…_ Aloud he responded a bit differently, "My back was paining me, and I thought I'd try a different position, that's all."

Hara rolled her eyes. "How many times to I have to tell you, go to a healer, and you'll feel better, and we could get to work." She frowned momentarily when she noticed that he was still dressed in the same shirt and breeches he had been the previous day.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" She asked. Reston shook his head sheepishly. She rolled her eyes again, and muttered something that sounded like 'Why do you do this to yourself, Reston?' under her breath.

She looked down at him once more, "Since you didn't see fit to sleep last night, I think you should at least take a nap this morning. I heard Lord Alan mention that there is a library in the castle, and I'm going to go look for it. Sleep now, Reston, we have a long week ahead of us."

**A/N: Don't forget to review! I want to know what you guys think.**


	3. Chapter Two: Amethyst and Sapphire

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, except for Reston and Hara.  
A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait! I've been busy, and putting it off. This chapter's sort of a filler, but I'm working on the next chapter.(I only finished this last night) I'm not sure how long it'll be until my next update, but I'll work on some other stuff for you to read while it's in progress...**

* * *

**Pie of Doomeh -** Did I say near future?smacks forehead I meant in the next year or so. It depends on how fast I write this one...And no, chapter one was the last of my pre-written stuff. I'll try to work on stuff ahead of time so that I can update more regularly, but who knows, with all the other stuff I have going(I have about fifteen fanfics in progress right now). As for Liam and Alanna...I don't like the pairing, but Liam's cool. I probably think that because I have a (possibly) minor obsession with Shang...but I agree, Alanna and George all the way!

**Uncertain Destiny - **That actually wasn't written as a filler. This chapter is, _When Panthers Prowl_ was intended to let you get to know Reston and Hara, as they will be reappearing later on... 

**Deathequalsoul -** Thank you very much for pointing that out, it has been fixed.

* * *

Sunlight was streaming into the room when Reston opened his eyes; he groaned, and struggled out of bed. He was still wearing the clothes he had been when they had arrived, and from the look of it, it was just after dawn. He had slept an entire day.

He stepped towards the window, frowning when he saw that it was already open. Behind him a giggle sounded from behind him, followed by a loud shushing noise. Reston turned, his piercing deep blue gaze came to rest on a curtain on one side of the room. The curtain was whipping about, as if someone was moving around behind it.

He strode lightly over to it, completely silent as he approached. Reston yanked back the curtain and instantly two yelps filled the air. Behind where the curtain had been two redheaded seven-year-olds stood, staring at Reston, their amethyst eyes wide with shock.

He grinned at them, "You two should know better than to sneak into strangers' rooms. What are you doing in here?" The two glanced at each other, unsure whether they ought to answer truthfully to an adult that they didn't know. The boy averted his gaze, refusing to meet Reston's intense azure stare, while his sister stared the Shang master down.

"We wanted to know how you'd react to a frog in your bed," she said, her eyes flashing mischievously. That made him smile, "Did you, now…well, I doubt you'd get a very good reaction. I don't have a problem with frogs. Now, if you want to put a frog in someone's bed, then put it into Hara's. Her shriek is enough to wake the whole fief. And it will be most entertaining to watch her reaction."

Both of the twins looked up at him, their eyes sparkling. "Really?" the girl asked, Reston nodded, "Yes. It's quite funny, I've done it before. Before we go find a suitable frog, what are your names?" Alanna tilted her head slightly, glancing at Thom. Thom, in turn glanced at Reston.

"I'm Thom," he said solemnly, "I want to be a sorcerer," he added after a moment. Alanna stayed silent, as if she did not want to say anything. "My name's Alanna, I want to be a knight," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. She looked down at her feet, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

Her eyes flicked up to Reston, she looked almost afraid, though he couldn't see why. Reston didn't see anything wrong with a girl wanting to be a knight, but he forgot to take into account that he'd grown up in Shang. He was used to the idea that women could be warriors, unlike in Tortall, where it wasn't something that many people even thought of.

"Alright then. Let's go find that frog," he said, gesturing toward the door, wincing slightly as the movement caused a sensitive muscle in his back to twinge painfully.

Hours later, as the sun was just starting the final leg of its descent toward the horizon, a very wet Reston returned the twins to their caretaker. But not until after they had carefully placed the enormous frog, which they had found in the water, in Hara's bed. They'd spent the whole time they were outside near the pond that was a little ways from the castle.

Reston stretched when he got back to his room, or at least tried to, before the pain made his back seize up. _Maybe Hara's right. I am too stubborn for my own good, _ Reston thought to himself. He did not like healers for some reason, he'd never figured out exactly whybut this was starting to get out of hand.

He was a Shang warrior, and he couldn't do his job if he was crippled as he was – unable to even move his back without pain. He'd been trained to withstand it, but it wasn't working. Maybe, just maybe, Hara was right, and he should go to a healer. Reston shook his head, he'd have to at least speak to the healers in the morning if he was going to get rid of this problem.

Then his mind drifted back to the amethyst-eyed twins. As he fingered the chain that held a sapphire pendant around his neck, an idea hit him. Maybe one of them would be a good trainee for Shang. He'd seen Alanna and Thom at their training session with Coram – they'd been learning hand-to-hand fighting and swordplay, and they were both pretty good. He could only see a few things that might prevent either of them - Thom had the Gift, and was reluctant to learn how to fight.

If Alanna had the Gift, then that would rule her out as well. There was also a high probability that Alan might be less than pleased if one of them was chosen. Their father needed an heir, and any noble who wanted to join Shang had to renounce their noble birthright, giving up any claim they had to the fief.

But Thom had the Gift; Reston had seen it when he'd been watching, that would defiantly prevent Thom from joining Shang, since Shang warriors had no Gifts, they had no magic of any type. If you joined Shang, you devoted your life to Shang and Shang alone.

Reston sighed. He'd have to talk to Alan in the morning, too. That wasn't a pleasant thought, the next morning. The thought of seeing a healer wasn't an idea that he liked at all.

The next afternoon, he was just getting back from the healers – he'd been there all morning, and was now sore all over, not just his back. "This is why I never go to healers," he winced as he let himself into his room. Hara was sitting on the bed, looking bored.

"Where've you been all day, Res? I've been waiting for you since lunch." Reston gave her a very dirty look, "Actually, I tried taking your advice, I saw the healer here. That is the last time I ever listen to your advice. Ever. Now, get off." He nudged her off of the bed, collapsing on it with a groan as soon as she was out of the way.

Hara watched him, rather confused, "You should be feeling better, why do you hurt more now?" Reston just glared at her, "If I knew, than I probably wouldn't be in pain right now." Hara shook her head. "Don't blame it on me." Then she left, leaving Reston alone once more. "Why me?" He voiced the almost unspoken question in a whisper; he just wasn't having a very good day…


	4. Chapter Three:  Trebond Forever

**Disclaimer: Not. Mine.  
A/N: Oh, wow, it's been ages since I updated this. I'm really sorry about that. Either way, I've finally gotten this chapter written, and I'm rather proud of myself. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Once more, the light flowed in through Reston's window, annoying him more than anything. "Blasted windows," he muttered as he finally rolled out of bed. He grunted, as he thought of how lazy he felt, and at how his back hurt.

This was why he disliked healers. For him, they seemed to do more hurt than help. He sighed and changed into fresh clothing. After splashing his face with cold water, and combing his sleep-tangled dark hair, he slipped from the room, and walked silently down to Lord Alan's study, where he hoped to find his old friend. He knocked on the door, and waited for a moment.

"Enter." Lord Alan called. He briefly looked up when Reston entered his study. "Good day, Reston." Reston frowned. He had thought that they'd been over the formality, and that they were through with it, but apparently not. Without being directed, Reston sat down in the chair opposite his old friend.

Considering how Alan had mentioned he hated it when people who were talking to him beat around the bush, and Reston did not want to put Alan in a bad mood, he cut to the chase. "Alan, you mentioned that you wanted to know who Hara and I selected…." Reston trailed off, trying to figure out how to phrase what he was about to say.

"After taking a look at all of the children in the fief, we've only found one candidate. Your daughter, Alanna, is the only one who has the knack we've been looking for. She's perfect for Shang. She's a gifted fighter, she could be one of the best in the order. I only need to know two things. Does she have the Gift, like her brother?" Reston paused, watching the Trebond lord for a reply.

Alan shook his head, "Not that I know of. Even if she did, she's wouldn't be allowed to use it." Alan looked away, a pained look in his eyes. "Would you be able to let her go, Alan?"

Alan refused to meet his eyes for a moment. When he did, there were tears glinting in his green eyes. He couldn't help it when he though of his wife. She'd died when the twins were born; she'd died because of them, and now every time he thought of her it was painful. "I will be able to let her go, Reston." Alan met his eyes, "You needn't worry about that. You have your candidate for Shang." He offered his old friend a slightly pained smile.

Alan, who was now rather uncomfortable with the current subject, decided to change said topic. "Reston, you've said very little about Shang, aside from telling me of your later adventures. Could you tell me of your first few years?" Reston grinned. He'd been wondering when Alan would ask about that.

His old comrade had always been a scholar, even when they were seven. It had only been a matter of time until Alan would ask about that, out of curiosity. "I can tell you some, but not even close to all. Hara and I have to leave tomorrow, and I don't think that anyone would be too happy with me if I fell off my horse on the way back to the coast."

He couldn't help adding a guffaw at the image that came unbidden into his mind. Then he began to tell Alan what he was allowed to of the training and tutoring that he'd received at the Shang Academy.

* * *

Surprisingly, Reston managed to escape his reminiscence, as well as Alan's study after a few hours. Now he had to find Hara, and in turn, they had to find Alanna. He walked lightly to Hara's quarters, and rapped on the door. Maybe he'd get lucky, and she would be there, and he wouldn't have to search the entire castle.

After a few moments she answered. She blinked her deep green eyes at him, for some reason rather surprised to see him there. "What's going on, Res?" She asked, her eyes instantly filling with curiosity.

"Well, I thought that you'd like to know that I just finished talking to Alan, and he is willing to allow us to invite Alanna to join Shang." Hara squealed excitedly, "Wonderful! Have you told her yet? Where is she? When are we going back?" She flung question after question at him, talking at a speed that made it hard to understand her.

Reston reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop the overly fast chattering. "I haven't told her yet; I was coming to get you first. We're leaving tomorrow, regardless of her answer." Hara nodded, still very excited. It was, after all, her first time out of the academy on a search for recruits.

"Alright. Can we go tell her now?" She asked. Reston nodded, and they started toward where Alan had told him the nursery was.

"Is your back any better, Reston?"

* * *

Reston knocked on the door to the nursery, wincing when there was a very loud crash inside. "I wouldn't suggest coming in here, but you may if you must," called the twin's caretaker, Maude.

Reston and Hara exchanged slightly worried glances, then entered. In the medium sized room, Alanna and her brother stood on the other side of a large shelf that had either fallen over, or had been knocked over. Maude was looking at them with a rather displeased look on her face.

"Alanna, would you please come over here." It was an order rather then a question. An apprehensive Alanna complied, feeling like she'd done something wrong, to get called over to the two Shang warriors.

"Yes, sir?" She asked, her expression anxious. "Alanna, Hara and I have been watching you, and I've talked to your father. We'd like it very much if you'd join the Shang Order, and train as a Shang warrior. It's entirely up to you. You don't have to if you don't want to."

Alanna looked up at Reston with her violet eyes wide with pleasure. They thought she was good enough to join Shang! She was excited beyond measure, she wanted to shout, and dance around.

Instead, she took a deep breath, "Yes. I want to join. What do I have to do?" She inquired, apprehensive once more. What if they asked her to do something that she couldn't?

Reston smiled reassuringly, "Alanna, you are a noble, and as a noble, you have the right to your father's fief when your father passes away and your brother either gives up his claim, or dies. Shang does not take nobles often, and when we do, they are required to renounce their claim to their family's fief or barony. Are you willing to relinquish your claim to Trebond?"

Alanna nodded, "Yes, I am. I want to be a Shang." She was all but jumping up and down with excitement. She had the chance to be like them, a Shang warrior. She felt so lucky.

Reston grinned, "Then all we need you to do is sign an agreement saying that you will not put a claim to Trebond, nor will your descendants, should you have any." Alanna nodded again. "Of course."

* * *

The next morning, Alanna and Thom stood in front of the stable with Coram. Coram held Alanna's pony, who was dancing around, anxious to begin the journey.

Alanna bit her lip, she was looking forward to this experience, but she was still apprehensive. She glanced up toward the window of her father's study. Her father had once more sunk into the 'I-don't-care-about-anything-but-my-books' state.

She was almost glad to get away from that. Her father was nearly unbearable when he was in that state. He was vicious toward Alanna and Thom, as he still blamed them for his wife's death.

Thom turned to his sister, "I'm going to miss you, Alanna. It's not going to be any fun here without you. I'm going to be stuck here with Father and not allowed to use my magic."

Alanna smiled sadly at her brother. "I'm going to miss you, too, Thom. But I'll come visit whenever I can."

Thom caught the glint in her eyes, the feeling that she wasn't really part of the Trebond family anymore. "Don't worry, Alanna. You're a Trebond forever. You'll always be welcome here."

Reston and Hara walked over, leading their horses, and Reston nodded to Alanna. "It's time to go now; otherwise we'll miss the boat." Alanna gave her brother a last hug, and, with Coram's help, mounted her pony.

"Goodbye, Thom." Thom reached up – thankfully the pony was relatively short – and gave his sister's hand one last squeeze.

"Goodbye, Alanna." Alanna smiled at her brother, "Love you, Thom." Reston and Hara urged their horses forward; Alanna followed their lead. "Love you, too, Alanna." Thom said as she rode away.

She looked back one more time, and waved to her twin, and watched Trebond Castle fade into nothing.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review! Please?**


	5. Chapter Four: Journey

**Disclaimer: This still isn't mine. If it were, it wouldn't be on Fanfiction.  
A/N: I am so sorry about the delay! I've had this done for a while, and it's been checked and edited for over a week, I've just been busy, and a tad lazy. Anyways, here's chapter four! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Pie of Doomeh - **Yeah, I feel bad for Thom, too, but that's the breaks when your sister who would have been the knight leaves for Shang. As it were, I'm not going to to a ten-or-so-year time skip, and her trials and tribulations during her training at the academy...**  
**

* * *

Alanna kept her eyes on the road most of the time, urging her pony, Chubby, to keep up with the Shang warriors' horses whenever she needed to. She had no idea how nervous she'd been about leaving until she had started thinking about it. 

What if she wasn't good enough to join, and Reston and Hara were wrong. What if she failed and had to go back to Trebond – or worse – become a lady. It must have showed on her face, because Hara fell back to ride with her, and let Reston lead.

"What is wrong, Alanna?" The Viper asked. Alanna looked up at Hara, her eyes wide for a moment. Then she looked at her pony's head.

"I'm just nervous, I guess. What if they won't let me join, or if I fail? What will happen to me then? I don't want to be a lady. I just want to be a warrior," Alanna said. Her worried violet eyes melted Hara's heart when she looked into them. She could see so much in Alanna's eyes. All of her fears and worries, her strengths and weaknesses, and even her hopes for the future.

Even then, she could see how much potential the girl had, and not just for Shang. Alanna had the mark of greatness on her. If she wanted to be a hero, she could be.

Hara shifted a little in the saddle, remembering her own journey to the coast. She'd been younger than Alanna, and just as worried about her future.

"You shouldn't worry, Alanna. Things will work out the way they're supposed to. You've got your whole life ahead of you. In this kind of situation, and in quite a bit of your life, you're going to just have to believe in yourself, and take the plunge. Don't give up, alright? We need more women in Shang, so that we can show the men o Tortall and the surrounding areas that we're not all court decorations. We need girls like you, Alanna. Those who are strong, independent, brave, and ready to learn make it in Shang, that's what you are. You'll be fine. Take it from someone who knows." Hara smiled at her.

Alanna did feel reassured, but there was that nagging in the back of her mind that made her wonder what would happen if she didn't make it in Shang. After a moment, she pushed it away, and glanced at Hara again. The warrior's emerald eyes were still trained on her; Alanna shifted in her saddle, still rather nervous.

The three of them rode for hours. By the time the sun was setting, it was clear that Alanna wasn't the only sore one. When Hara dismounted from her chestnut gelding, she walked rather gingerly.

Reston, too, walked as though the riding was hard on him. Alanna later discovered that it was mainly because there had been a stray strip of leather that had rubbed against his leg during the ride, and it had formed a large blister on his lower leg.

They had only stopped for a brief respite to eat and water their horses around early afternoon.

All the same, they gathered firewood and set up a fire to cook their dinner as the sun set. At that point, Hara sat down on the bed she'd made for herself on the hard earth and declared that she was going to take a nap and if Reston did not wake her to eat she would be severely annoyed.

When Reston made her think that he'd done just that, she looked like she was going to slap him. She probably would have, had he not burst out in laughter. It was the first day when Alanna realized how close of friends the two Shang warriors were.

When they traveled, Reston would antagonize Hara whenever he got the chance, and in turn, Hara would do things that annoyed him to no end. But from what Hara said they would only do that when they were traveling.

Otherwise they were hospitable to each other, even if Hara's rather bouncy-yet-solemn-at-times personality did get on Reston's nerves when he was hurting or tired.

Alanna woke early the next morning. Reston was already up and stoking the fire to get it going again. Hara was still asleep, a few feet from Alanna. She'd been the first asleep, while it had taken Alanna a little while to drift off. Reston had taken care of cleaning up their dinner, and built up the fire before he's gone to sleep.

He sighed and dropped a bit more wood into the fire. When Alanna got up, he turned his gaze on her.

"Sleep well?" he asked. Alanna nodded, and stretched, stifling a yawn.

"Why isn't Hara up?" Alanna asked, glancing at Hara's sleeping form. Reston grinned at the seven-year-old.

"Hara doesn't sleep well when she travels; as a matter of fact, she doesn't like traveling very much," he said.

He handed Alanna a small slice of bread and a slice of salted meat to match when she was near enough him. "Here, this will hold you over until she wakes."

Alanna accepted the food gratefully, and stood there for a few moments, munching on the chewy beef, and the soft bread. After she was done, she walked back to her pack, and pulled out her stuffed cat. She loved the cat enough that she'd brought it with her.

Reston smiled as he watched this. It was adorable to see the little girl sitting there staring into the like-colored eyes of the black cat.

After a while, when Hara still hadn't stirred, Reston got up from his seat near the fire, wincing as the blister on his leg suddenly felt like it was on fire.

"Blasted stirrup," he muttered as he walked over to his friend's prone form. "Hara, you need to get up, it's time to get going soon. If you want any breakfast at all, you had best get up, and get ready to go." Hara rolled over, and glared at him, very annoyed. "

Fine. You make breakfast, I'll clean up." She climbed out of her blankets, and started getting her things together while Reston went back to the fire and started making breakfast for the three of them.

* * *

By evening that day, they were at the coast; all that was left was for them to get to the ship. As it were, the ship was less than an hour's ride south from where they reached the coast. Alanna stared at the water before they boarded. Chubby didn't want to go on the ship, and Alanna wasn't sure she wanted to either. But she did anyway; she was going to the Shang Academy, and nothing was going to stop her, especially not some water.

An hour or two later she wasn't so sure. Her stomach was queasy, she'd thrown up a number of times, and she just plain didn't feel good. This was going to be a very long trip, indeed.

* * *

**A/N: Review! It'll only take a minute, and it's greatly appreciated when you do.**


End file.
